Conditions of Enrollment

ABACUS TRAINING is committed to providing the best in vocational education to our students and supporting industry through training which is:

Industry relevant

Student focused

Accessible, and

Affordable

The following information is provided to all prospective students and explains both our responsibility to you as a client and your responsibility to us.

It contains important guidance on our corporate philosophy and the way we ensure our Registered Training Organisation complies with the relevant Regulations and Standards under which we operate.

Information includes:

Client information

Confidentiality

Complaints and appeals

Fee structure

Guarantee

Corporate policy

Training standards

Marketing

Access and equity

OHS

Enrolment into a qualification or course with ABACUS TRAINING is subject to the terms, conditions and policies outlined in our pre-enrolment information as detailed below.

ABOUT ABACUS TRAINING

ABACUS TRAINING (referred herein as ABACUS TRAINING) is the trading name under which our parent company Heaton Industrial Holdings Pty Ltd operates and markets its Registered Training Organsation and the associated functions.

Rick Heaton, CEO of ABACUS TRAINING is responsible for the strategic direction of the company, all compliance matters and the day to day operations of the Registered Training Organisation.

All ABACUS TRAINING facilitators and assessors hold the relevant and required vocational and educational qualifications and maintain industry contact and involvement to ensure relevance and validity is maintained across all of the RTOs operations.

Rick has considerable experience in operational and administrative areas across a wide variety of vocational fields.

ABACUS TRAINING, is an Equal Opportunity Organisation engaged in the provision of Nationally Recognised Training under the Australian Quality Training Framework and the Queensland Department of Employment & Training.

ABACUS TRAINING policy dictates a strict adherence to relevant State and Federal legislation relating to safety, industrial relations and access and equity. All Nationally Recognised Training courses/qualifications will be delivered in line with the standards set by the Australian Quality Training Framework and relevant Federal, State, and Territory authorities.

All ABACUS TRAINING staff members are expected to promote and embrace the organisations articulated standards, policies and procedures.

RTO CODE OF PRACTICE

ABACUS TRAINING is committed to delivering fair, reasonable, ethical and transparent dealings in all of its undertakings including:

Client information

Confidentiality

Complaints and appeals

Fee structure

Guarantee

Corporate policy

Training standards

Marketing

Access and equity

OHS

ELEGIBILITY

All participants must be over the age of 18 to participate in a course with ABACUS TRAINING unless express and written permission from a parent or guardian is supplied and is accepted by the appropriate ABACUS TRAINING staff member.

ABACUS TRAINING courses do require a basic level of computer literacy. Learners will need access to a computer with a word-processor (e.g. Microsoft Word) and access to email and internet. Learners will need to have a basic proficiency in;

Accessing information stored on websites and from a CD

Saving a word document

Sending and receiving emails with attachments

It may also be beneficial for learners to have an understanding on using Microsoft PowerPoint.

ABACUS TRAINING does not provide these resources nor do we supply additional support or training for learners having IT or computer technical difficulties. Please contact an ABACUS TRAINING staff member if you are unsure about the computer requirements for a course.

Learners will need to have a good command of written and spoken English (equivalent to general IELTS Level 4).

PARTICIPANTS RIGHTS

All participants in ABACUS TRAINING’s courses and programs have a right to:

As a condition of entry into ABACUS TRAINING’s programs, participants are expected to:

Respect the rights of others

Be punctual for classes and appointments

Notify ABACUS TRAINING if they are unable to attend classes or appointments

Promote an effective learning environment through good personal behaviour

Encourage equal opportunity

Observe any non-smoking restrictions

Seek approval from authorised ABACUS TRAINING staff for the use of ABACUS TRAINING IT equipment, assets, stationery, etc

Be responsible for their own possessions

Be aware of and promote the safety of themselves and others

Meet the required dress standard which is defined as smart casual. Further details may be provided in your course welcome email.

Provide at least 7 days notice if they do not intend to commence a course they are booked into.

INDUCTION/ORIENTATION

Learners may be required to undergo an induction/orientation prior to course commencement. This process may include details on course delivery, policies, procedures, appeals, access and equity, RPL, Legislative Requirements, OHS, etc as provided in this document.

CONDITIONS OF ENROLMENT

ABACUS TRAINING agrees to provide access to available enrolment positions for all persons who have the relevant skills, experience and ability to satisfactorily meet enrolment requirements for behaviour, safety, course/qualification pre-requisites, payment of fees, and the observance of ABACUS TRAINING policy.

ABACUS TRAINING may seek to terminate the enrolment of a student if they:

Do not comply with proper safety procedures including the wearing of appropriate clothing and PPE for a given workplace when training occurs in an on the job or simulated workplace situation.

Fail to attend training sessions to a minimum level set for competence.

Have not accurately or honestly disclosed all information relevant to their enrolment and participation in the training with ABACUS TRAINING, including relevant matters relating to health, work history, skills and experience, criminal conviction (where appropriate) etc.

Have provided false or misleading information.

Commit an offence under the law while in the training environment or at a workplace, breach safe work practice, or otherwise act in a manner detrimental to the wellbeing of ABACUS TRAINING, other students or persons, or themselves.

Do not comply with the confidentiality rights of other persons.

Note: where a student fails to provide seven (7) days notice for non attendance of a course they are booked into, ABACUS TRAINING will invoice the student for full course fees and reserves the right to take legal action if needed for debt recovery.

Enrolment in a course is not secured until payment is made. Payment must be made five (5) working days prior to the commencement of the course otherwise a learner may not be able attend unless prior arrangements have been made with ABACUS TRAINING staff. This does not apply to online or correspondence courses

ABACUS TRAINING reserves the right to cancel an enrolment without notice, if after twelve (12) months; a learner has not completed and achieved their qualification. If some of the qualification has been completed, a statement of attainment will be issued for those units completed. If a learner is having difficulty meeting this deadline, ABACUS TRAINING may grant extensions under certain circumstances. It is the learner’s responsibility to meet the deadline and/or make appropriate arrangements. This statement should be read in conjunction with our refund policy.

LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS

ABACUS TRAINING and its staff and students will comply with relevant regulations, legislation, standards and other relevant guidelines including but not limited to:

You may view and download these Acts at the Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII: www.austlii.edu.au) website which provides free online access to Australian Government, state and territory case law and legislation.

PRE-DELIVERY ASSESSMENT

Prior to enrolment you should discuss your needs and situation with an ABACUS TRAINING staff member who can assist you with or refer you to appropriate assistance for:

Client Support Services including LLN

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Learning Pathways

Assessment Procedures & Process

Delivery Options

FLEXIBLE ASSESSMENT

All assessments conducted by ABACUS TRAINING will conform to assessment guidelines for Nationally Endorsed Training Packages or the assessment criteria attached to specific courses.

Assessment usually takes place by way of assignments and course exercises. However these are flexible and at the ABACUS TRAINING trainer’s discretion in some courses as long as they meet AQTF guidelines and minimum requirements for competency in the specific course. Flexible courses allow students to learn at their own pace and under varying conditions, which best suit their individual situations.

Students are required to be competent in all areas to receive an overall competency mark (J).

Elements that may be included (depending on course) in the assessment process are:

As a rule of thumb, students will generally be given three (3) opportunities to be assessed for competency in a given course or program.

However, ABACUS TRAINING may allow for further assessment opportunities where it feels there are special circumstances which are negatively affecting the outcome of assessment or where the client presents a case that ABACUS TRAINING feels is valid.

In such circumstances, ABACUS TRAINING may seek assistance from an outside source (counsellor, tutor, etc) and will record the process for reporting to the Registering Authority.

Where a client has been assessed three times and is still Not Yet Competent (M), ABACUS TRAINING may refuse further assessment if it feels there is little chance of the client becoming Competent.

The participant may appeal this decision in writing to the ABACUS TRAINING’s Chief Executive Officer who will consider the matter and advise the client in writing of the outcome. This process is outlined in Complaints, Appeals and Grievances.

A flexible assessment process will be undertaken to consider the needs of people with special needs or situations including:

Cultural background.

Handicap.

LL&N difficulties.

Other trauma or reasons.

In this case, flexibility will not lessen the overall value of a course program but should be seen as a willingness to take different avenues to reach results with the qualification retaining the same worth and value.

The results and details of all assessments will be recorded and kept on file for the purpose of auditing and, where applicable, will be forwarded to, or included in, reports to the Registering Authority.

In line with ABACUS TRAINING policies, clients will have access to personal information and will be advised of all outcomes in writing.

FEE STRUCTURE

All fees will be competitive when compared to others in the marketplace, and may be varied or discounted at the discretion of ABACUS TRAINING to assist individuals, secure corporate contracts or to comply with the requirements of Commonwealth or State/territory Government contracts.

In programs funded by Government Authorities, client charges will be determined by the terms of the Government Contract.

The cost of a course is dependent upon delivery and assessment methods and a separate guide to these costs may be provided as an attachment to this information or on our website.

Qualifications will not be issued until payment has been made in full.

FEES PAID IN ADVANCE

ABACUS TRAINING will ensure that fees paid in advance of course delivery shall be protected by having such funds entered into ABACUS TRAINING’s accounts as “Unearned Income,” which may not be drawn upon until such time as delivery has commenced.

ABACUS TRAINING’s refund policy will also add an extra level of protection and flexibility which allows for the return of proportional funds after delivery has commenced.

REFUND POLICY

Refunds will be granted at the discretion of the ABACUS TRAINING. There are no exceptions to our Refund Policy

All course fees are payable in advance.

All monies received are placed in a separate account and are not accessed until the course starts.

When courses are longer than three days, a proportion of fees paid for that course will remain in that account until the course is 50%completed *, to ensure pro-rata refunds for eligible applicants.

* (50% based on expected course duration)

Computer based courses are deemed to start on the day of payment, once accessed and materials forwarded there are no refunds available for online courses.

CANCELED COURSES.

Should Abacus Training cancel any course, participants are entitled to a full refund or transfer of funds to a future course.

Medical or Personal Hardship

Applicants who are unable to complete a self-paced computer course and can provide a medical certificate or show extreme personal hardship may be granted a refund.

An applicant’s failure to ensure their computer meets the minimum specification is not grounds for a refund.

REFUND ON HARD COPY OR CD BASED MATERIALS

Deposits will be refunded for training materials and resources that are returned with unopened CD cases.

Where materials have been accessed through an upload of Abacus Training materials, a minimum 50% of the course fee will be retained by Ababcus Training.

The cost of packaging and handling will not be refunded.

In some cases a restocking fee of 15% may be applicable.

In all cases, where payment has been made by cheque, credit card, money order or EFTPOS (Electronic Funds Transaction), a minimum $57.00 admin fee will apply.

Refunds will only be granted on return of course materials.

Any learner who has been granted a payment plan by ABACUS TRAINING will be considered for a refund at the discretion of the ABACUS TRAINING Learning Centres. If a third party (i.e. a learner’s employer paying for them) fails to pay within the stated terms then the learner’s enrolment will be cancelled without notice. If you wish to seek a refund, please apply in writing (email, fax or post).

For Face-to-Face Learners:

Any learner who fails to notify ABACUS TRAINING Learning Centres of their withdrawal from a face-to-face course seven (7) days prior to its commencement will not be entitled to a refund.

If a learner cancels their enrolment within thirty (30) days (inclusive) of commencement of the course and has attended one (1) or more days of a face to face course, and has not been assessed for any part of their course, the learner is entitled to a refund of 50% of their fees.

If a learner cancels their enrolment within thirty (30) days (inclusive) of commencement of the course and has attended one (1) or more days of a face to face course, and has been assessed for some of their course, the learner is not entitled to a refund.

If a learner cancels their enrolment after thirty-one (31) days of commencement of the course then the learner is not entitled to a refund.

If a learner is granted any Recognition of Prior Learning after Fourteen (14) days from the date of enrolment, there will be no refund or reduction in course fees allowed.

SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE

A list of referral contact details is available and can be supplied to all clients on request for a variety of services including: counselling, emergency accommodation, substance abuse, etc.

RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING (RPL)

In some cases, students may be able to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning if they have previously achieved the learning outcomes for an accredited unit/s through Nationally Recognised Training. ABACUS TRAINING will offer RPL for all units where there is evidence to support the RPL application.

Evidence for RPL (certificates, transcripts or other evidence) should be attached to an Application for RPL and submitted to Admin at the time of enrolment.

The RPL is then given to the Compliance Manager to be assessed. The Compliance Manager will confirm whether the RPL status is granted, denied or whether further information/evidence is required.

Students will be informed in writing of the result of the RPL application prior to the commencement of the relevant session.

The availability of RPL will depend on the learner's experience, qualifications and evidence as well as relevant Training Package Guidelines.

The RPL process shall be consistent with The RPL National Principles as defined by the AQF.

FEEDBACK AND COMMUNICATION

ABACUS TRAINING embraces an ongoing policy of open communication and encourages feedback and dialogue with all students to assist with meeting student needs and concerns as well as for ongoing improvement of ABACUS TRAINING’s services.

ABACUS TRAINING would appreciate feedback in regard to your opinions, satisfaction, or other views about ABACUS TRAINING’s operations, policies, procedures and training delivery and assessment.

ABACUS TRAINING will analyse and utilise this feedback and communication to:

Review its policies and procedures and

Plan for improvement

Meets its obligations under the reporting of Quality Indicators

Feedback can be supplied directly to facilitators, other ABACUS TRAINING staff, or as written suggestions which may include the use of ABACUS TRAINING feedback forms.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

All admissions to ABACUS TRAINING’s courses shall be determined fairly without consideration for an applicant’s gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, personal beliefs, handicap, etc, unless such items pose a reasonable argument for non enrolment on the grounds of safety or capacity to undertake the role or if it is in opposition to the laws of the land or ABACUS TRAINING’s code of conduct:

Demonstrating a capacity and willingness to adhere to ABACUS TRAINING’s standards and code of conduct

Ability to undertake the course in a manner that encourages a fair, safe and enjoyable learning environment

Other items as determined for specific courses on a time to time basis

SPECIFIC NEEDS GROUPS

ABACUS TRAINING will maintain a flexible and proactive attitude towards specific needs groups and, where practical may cooperate with community or special needs organisations to allow their members access to accredited training.

Where appropriate and in line with the development of ABACUS TRAINING, it may provide specific courses or programs designed to assist groups of special needs or circumstances.

ANTI DISCRIMINATION

ABACUS TRAINING policy does not allow for the discrimination of an individual by virtue of their gender, sexual orientation, religion, culture, political beliefs, handicaps or personal background providing it has no direct, reasonable and legal bearing on the individual’s performance within the position, or on the safety, or well being of the applicant or others.

All persons will be treated fairly and have their application considered on the basis of its merits.

CONFIDENTIALITY

ABACUS TRAINING will not disclose the personal details of its employees/students/contractors, or associates except as they expressly permit, or if necessary to meet legislative or compliance standards set by regulatory authorities or other persons empowered under the law.

DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES

Where students are in breach of ABACUS TRAINING policy, state or territory legislation, are disruptive, rude, unsafe, or fail to meet acceptable standards of good behaviour, ABACUS TRAINING may take steps to address the situation.

Depending on the nature and severity of the problem, ABACUS TRAINING may choose to resolve the issue by mediation which will be recorded on student files and written copies and outcomes supplied to the student.

Where the issue is more serious or is unable to be resolved, ABACUS TRAINING may seek to apply sanctions, suspension, or expulsion to the student or, where relevant, refer the matter to more appropriate authorities or authorised bodies. All such action will be recorded with written outcomes supplied to the student(s) involved.

COMPLAINTS, APPEALS and GRIEVANCES

ABACUS TRAINING takes all complaints seriously and enrolled students can use the following process where they feel it necessary.

Step 1:

The issue should be raised directly with the facilitator or, if preferred, with ABACUS TRAINING staff.

If the complainant is unhappy with the result, they may then take action as per STEP 2 as detailed below.

In all cases where it is necessary to proceed to beyond Step 1 to resolve or mediate the issue, the involvement of the Abacus CEO is required.

Step 2:

The complainant may raise the issue in writing with ABACUS TRAINING or have ABACUS TRAINING staff take notes regarding the complaint. After receiving the written/noted complaint, ABACUS TRAINING will receipt the complaint and will arrange for a confidential personal interview as soon as practically possible, preferably within 48 hours.

This interview will attempt to resolve the complaint either between the parties involved or between the complainant and ABACUS TRAINING

Step 3:

The complainant may at any point in this process action their grievance with:

A trade union, or association

The Anti Discrimination Board

The relevant Consumer Tribunal

All issues, complaints and grievances are taken seriously by the staff and management of our business and will be investigated and acted upon as quickly as possible.

Complainants will be informed in writing about actions taken on their behalf and confidentiality will be maintained to ensure the rights of the complainant are upheld.